


Chapters of a Lifetime

by Loulou26



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Comfort, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Marriage, Romance, Training, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-07 09:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1894095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loulou26/pseuds/Loulou26
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of related one-shots that follow Oliver and Felicity's journey from friends to lovers, to husband and wife, and beyond.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clarity

**Author's Note:**

> Felicity is pleasantly surprised when Oliver decides to start training her himself.

The last thing Felicity Smoak had expected when Oliver Queen had told her he was taking over her training was this. Standing in the Foundry, a stick in each hand, she faced a shirtless Oliver. And he was grinning.

"So…what exactly am I supposed to do with these?" She looked down at the items in her hands. Of course, she'd seen Diggle and Oliver sparring with them, but they always moved so fast she could never keep her eyes on them.

"We're stepping up your training now. You know what to do to defend yourself, Diggle has already taught you all you need to know on that front, but I want to make sure that you're prepared if it comes to a real fight." His tone was neutral, but the expression on his face was anything but. "One with weapons."

She knew he hated the idea of her having to fight, and truth be told, so did she. But this was necessary. She was going out into the field a lot more now and in doing so, she exposed herself to all sorts of nasty people. If Oliver couldn't stop her, and oh boy did he try, than she needed to know what to do if anything happened.

"Okay but…"

"What?"

"Well, I doubt anyone is going to attack me with a stick so…why can't you just show me how to shoot a gun?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes. "A gun's no use to you if someone already has a hold on you. Close proximity requires a different approach."

She frowned at him. "If a gun is no use in close proximity then how is another weapon any different?"

Oliver shook his head and sighed. "There are too many things that can go wrong with a gun; you could end up getting yourself shot instead of your target."

She must've been over thinking because the next thing she knew, he was standing right in front of her. "Felicity."

She glanced up at him. "Hmm?"

"Trust me, okay?" His eyes softened as they roamed her face, much as they did that night in the Queen's mansion so many months ago. Felicity had tried not to think about it, to just let it go. And for the most part, she had succeeded. Things had returned to normal between them and nothing had been said about it since.

But every so often, she would catch him watching her, just out of the corner of her eye and as soon as he realised she knew he was looking, he would turn away. She had never asked him why but it was something that hadn't stopped, if anything, it was becoming more and more frequent. So she wondered where this sudden desire to train her himself had come from. Diggle was normally the one that handled all that.

"Okay. Let's do this." She saw the brief hint of a smile as he stepped back and raised his right arm.

"The purpose of this is not to attack, remember that. This is purely for defence. Raise your right arm and touch my stick."

Felicity paused, staring at him with wide eyes. She could feel the blush creeping into her cheeks and was powerless to stop it. Why did her brain always have to take everything he said the wrong way? He obviously knew what she was thinking, because he smiled and shook his head, which made it even more mortifying.

"Felicity, concentrate." She nodded and adopted the fighting stance that Diggle had taught her.

"Now I'm going to come at you and I want you to block my attack, okay?"

"Um…okay. How though?" When his eyes widened in disbelief she quickly added. "I mean I know how to block you without these, but with them…how?"

Again, he shook his head and she had the vague notion that he was losing patience with her. Yes, things were definitely back to normal. He leaned forward and grabbed her right hand, lifting it higher. "Put your arm up to block my attack and as soon as I strike, you're going to bring your left hand in to hit me here." He pointed to his right side.

Felicity could feel the heat from his hand seeping into her skin, sending tingles up her arm. With a quick shake of her head, she swallowed and tried to go for a nonchalant tone. "Oh well, that doesn't sound so hard."

She soon came to regret that statement when she ended up flat on her back on the mat, with Oliver standing over her looking a little smug. He thrust out a hand to help her up. "Never underestimate your opponent. Their goal is to hurt you, you have to be faster, think on your feet."

Easy for you to say, she thought. Why did he always have to be so…shirtless around her? She rolled her shoulders around and moved her neck from side to side. Come on, Felicity. "Okay, come at me again."

He smiled for a second before his face turned serious and then he lunged. Felicity, seeing an opportunity, ducked under his attack and swept her right foot out, catching him off guard. As soon as he hit the mat, she was on top of him, pointing the end of her stick into his chest.

"You were saying?" She said with a smirk.

He chuckled and placed his hands on her thighs and she prayed that her face didn't reflect the current swirling of heat she felt in her chest. "Nice job."

"Thank you." What was wrong with her voice? She hoped he hadn't noticed the slight waver in her tone as his hand slid a little further up her leg to her hip. She didn't think he even knew he was doing it.

"You forgot one thing though," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

She scoffed. "Oliver, you're currently lying on your back with me on top of you and a weapon aimed at your chest. Face it, I've got you."

She didn't miss the way his eyes slowly grazed down her body to the point where they were connected. But he quickly masked it and grinned. "Oh do you?"

She let out a loud shriek as he grabbed her hips and used his legs to flip her over his head. He did it slowly so as not to hurt her but before she knew it, she was lying on the mat opposite him, her head next to his, and all the air driven out of her lungs.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his expression turning serious, but there was something in his eyes. Something that she couldn't quite read.

Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded her head and tried to control her breathing, which wasn't easy with the way he was staring at her. It was almost like…well she had only seen that look once before.

She saw his gaze flicker down to her mouth, and without realising it, she started to chew on her bottom lip. She froze as he raised a hand and brushed his thumb along her lip, easing it from her teeth.

"Oliver…" She trailed off, realising that she had absolutely no idea what she was about to say to him. This was a new situation and it seemed that neither of them knew how to react.

A soft sigh escaped him as his eyes took in her entire face, almost as if he was just drinking in the sight of her. Before she knew what was happening, he moved forward slightly, a light shining in his eyes, and gently pressed his lips to hers.

Felicity responded, pressing herself in further as his mouth teased hers, his tongue sweeping across the lip she had been biting before. It was such a strange sensation. Not only was she kissing Oliver Queen, but she was doing so upside down. His bottom lip caressed her top one and it was both weird and incredibly hot at the same time.

It was just as his tongue probed her mouth, seeking entrance, that common sense seemed to return to her. Well, it practically slammed into her. She gasped and pulled herself away, ignoring the confused expression on his face.

"Felicity?"

Ugh, why did he have to say her name like that all the time? He always poured so much emotion into the way he said it.

She stood up so fast that she almost lost her balance and as soon as she reached a hand out to steady herself, Oliver was right there, holding onto her elbows.

"You okay? What happened?" He studied her face, concern now taking over the desire she'd seen just a few seconds ago.

She shook her head and waved his hands away. "Nothing, I'm okay. I just stood up too fast, head rush, you know? No big deal, it's nothing I haven't had before, and I just realised that I haven't really eaten much today so I should probably…"

"Hey." Large hands grasped her bare shoulders, the heat from his touch distracting her from her rambling. "What is it?"

She let out a quiet sigh. "Oliver…that wasn't right. Not that I mean it felt wrong or anything because it really didn't, but…we shouldn't have done that."

"Felicity," He paused for a second, raising his eyes to the ceiling as if gathering some sort of strength. "I have wanted to do that for a long time."

Her mouth fell open. "Oh…" She swallowed and cleared her throat. "How uh…how long?"

The corners of his mouth tilted up into that little smile that seemed to be reserved only for when he was around her. "Months. But you're right."

"I am?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't have happened that way."

"Oh."

His hand slowly moved up her shoulder, to the back of her neck, cupping it, and as the shiver ran down her spine, he grinned.

"This is how it should've happened."

His mouth claimed hers almost ferociously, and this time he didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss. Keeping one hand on the back of her neck, he wrapped his other around her waist and drew her closer, pressing her into him so that there wasn't an inch of space between them.

When the need for oxygen became a problem, he slowly pulled away, but only far enough to press his forehead against hers. Staring into her eyes, breathing heavily, he swallowed hard. "You have no idea how much I love you."

His expression, so serious, almost pained, was her undoing. "Oliver I…I love you too."

She saw the brief flash of shock in his eyes and wondered if he'd doubted that she would say it back. That thought made her sad. Did he not think he deserved to be loved? But how could she not? She was hopelessly, irretrievably in love with this man.

"I love you." She whispered against his lips and felt him smile. He cupped her face in his hands, taking a moment to just look at her, and then slowly, he slid her glasses down and off.

He placed them on the table next to him and turned back to her with a sheepish grin. "I've wanted to do that for a while too."

She chuckled as he wrapped himself around her again, and then, once again, became lost in his kiss.


	2. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is having a tough day. Felicity to the rescue.

“Oliver?” Felicity’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there at his desk, lost in his memories. “Didn’t you hear me? I called your name three times.”

“Hey, sorry I was just…thinking.” he replied softly, standing up to meet her as she walked over to him. Without another word, he lowered his head and captured her mouth in a searing kiss. It still amazed him, three months into their relationship, that her kiss could affect him so much. Much like the one they’d shared in the Foundry after their first training session, it never failed to astound him. How he could love her so much and not be able to pinpoint when it was that he’d fallen so hard. 

When she pulled back, he was happy to note the slight flush in her cheeks. He never got tired of seeing that and he knew that he never would. But his favourite part of kissing her, was looking into her beautiful eyes right after. They were so clear, her every thought reflected in them and all he saw was love. It was a feeling he was still getting used to, that someone so pure, so innocent, could love him with all his flaws. 

She reached up and cupped his cheek, something she always did when she was worried about him but didn’t want to ask. “I missed you this morning. I woke up and you were already gone.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I had a lot of work to get done here.”

She glanced around his newly renovated office at Queen Consolidated. It had been a month since he’d regained control of his family’s company and as CEO, his job was now more demanding than ever. 

As she pulled back, Oliver reluctantly released her from the circle of his arms, feeling the loss of her already as she perched herself on the corner of his desk.

“Place looks good.”

He nodded but stayed silent as he sat back down in his chair, loosening his tie in the process. “There’s still a lot to do.”

“Well, I have something that might cheer you up.” She grinned. “Two things, actually. And no, before you go getting any ideas, it’s not that. Well, maybe later but for now…”

“Felicity.” Oliver chuckled, interrupting her ramble. It was one of the things he loved most about her but sometimes she had a tendency to get off track and the last thing he needed today was to be constantly distracted by thoughts of her in his bed.

“As of today, I am officially re-employed at Queen Consolidated. And, I am back where I belong too. You are looking at the new head of the IT Department. Honestly, I would’ve been happy with having my old job back but Jack insisted that I was the right person for the promotion.”

Oliver blew out a breath of relief as he absently caressed her knee. He’d missed her in the time she’d been working at Kord Industries. As soon as Oliver had taken his company back, she had handed in her resignation, but company policy dictated that she had to give at least a month’s notice. He had a new executive assistant now but it had never been the same without Felicity. “That’s great, Felicity. But what happened? I thought you couldn’t leave until next week.”

She threw him a wink and stood, straightening her dress before reaching into her bag for her tablet. “I have my ways. Now, onto business number two.”

He folded his hands in his lap to keep from reaching out for her. For some reason, whenever she was around, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. “Which is?”

She gave him a look of triumph, which in turn, gave him a sense of pride. Whenever she got that particular look, he knew that she’d made a major breakthrough on something. She never failed to amaze him. The woman was capable of anything. 

“I found Marcus Philips.”

Suddenly serious, he stood up and waited for her to show him whatever it was on her tablet. “How?”

“Well, it’s kind of a funny story…” She swiped her fingers over the tablet a few times until some kind of document appeared. Watching her hand fly over the screen, it was then he noticed it. Four distinct little red marks on her forearm. Finger-shaped bruises. 

He grabbed her wrist and raised it to get a better look. “Felicity, what happened to you?”

She pulled her wrist back and put her tablet down on his desk, taking a deep breath as if gearing up for something. “Okay so…remember how we were sure that he was going to go into hiding?”

Oliver didn’t reply, his mind already thinking of the worst scenario. Marcus Philips was the owner of a local fruit packaging company. On the surface, there was nothing untoward about him. But Felicity had been investigating him for weeks, sure that he was laundering money made from selling the latest drug to hit the Glades. However, no actual proof could be found to tie him to anything despite the fact that every person the Arrow questioned, all pointed back to Philips. 

“Well, I was getting coffee on the way here; by the way, did you know that they stopped making my favourite kind?” She babbled, waving her hands around. “Anyway, so I went to try out that new place, the one I told you about, and-“

“Felicity!” He couldn’t help it but he snapped. He needed to know where those bruises came from. 

She dropped her hands down by her side and sighed. “Okay, promise me that you won’t get angry.”

His jaw clenched as he stayed silent, he couldn’t make that promise. Not when she’d apparently been hurt. 

“Well, I sort of bumped into him. Literally. I was walking out as he was going in and we collided. When he recognised who I was, he made some comments about you and me. I may…or may not, have gotten a little angry and asked him when his next shipment of drugs was coming in.”

“Felicity…” Oliver groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “Why?”

“Why what? He pushed my buttons! I couldn’t help it.”

Oliver’s anger went up a notch at the thought of that lowlife’s hands on Felicity. “Why didn’t you call me?”

She frowned. “What for? It’s not like he attacked me or anything.”

He grabbed her wrist again. “Oh no? Then what’s this?”

She yanked it away from him, eyes narrowed but he could see the anger starting to swirl there. Which only served to fuel his even more. 

“This is nothing, Oliver! He didn’t attack me, he merely grabbed me in an attempt to scare me. That was it, and it was over as soon as it started. He walked away; I walked away. The end.”

“Why would you confront him alone? Did you learn nothing from Tockman?”

Her gasp was barely audible, but he heard it. He wouldn’t allow himself to feel bad about it either. She could’ve been seriously hurt and he would’ve known nothing about it. 

“First of all, I didn’t confront him. I ran into him. I defended myself just fine, Oliver.” She replied between gritted teeth. “Not every situation needs to involve the Arrow. Where is all this coming from? I thought since Slade you were okay with me going out into the field more.”

“This is different!” he yelled. 

Felicity didn’t even flinch. She took a step closer and stared up at him. “Listen to me, whatever is going on with you right now, you need to tell me. You are over reacting…”

“Over reacting? He could’ve hurt you, Felicity! Tell me how I’m supposed to feel when my girlfriend tells me she’s been attacked! Tell me how I’m supposed to feel when I see bruises on you!”

Felicity licked her lips, took a deep breath and released it slowly. “It’s nothing I haven’t had before. Oliver…” 

A knock on the door stopped her and they both turned to see Oliver’s new assistant standing in the doorway, looking like she was about to enter a lion’s den.

“I’m busy, Patrice.” Oliver practically growled, his eyes still glued to Felicity’s face. Her shock at his tone was evident as she gaped at him.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, Mr Queen, but it’s important.”

“No, it’s okay Patrice,” Felicity stared at him for a moment. “We’re done here.”

She gathered her belongings and stormed out of the office, leaving a very nervous Patrice hanging in the doorway. Oliver blew out a breath and scrubbed his hands over his face. 

He was aware that he had over reacted somewhat, and that his assistant currently looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, so he softened his tone. “What is it, Patrice?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day, before anyone else arrived; Oliver was working out in the Foundry. He hadn’t spoken to Felicity since she’d stormed out of his office earlier and it was mostly because he had no idea what to say to her. He knew he needed to apologise, even though he didn’t believe he was totally in the wrong. She could’ve been hurt, but it was the knowledge that she’d put herself in that situation alone that scared him. 

His mind was thrown back to the time she’d called him, telling him she was tracking Tockman from the very place he was going to be. His blood had run cold and yes, he’d gotten angry when he’d seen her there. Why couldn’t she understand? He had always felt a need to protect her, ever since she’d joined the team. Now that they were together, now that he was in love with her, he felt that need stronger than ever. 

He grunted as he jumped down off the salmon ladder, not yet feeling the burn that he’d wanted to distract him from his thoughts. Not wanting to stop, he jumped up to one of the monkey bars and hooked his legs over it. He tried to clear his mind as he started his crunches, but it was useless. Today was not a good day for Oliver Queen. 

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear her come in. The first he knew of her presence was a hand, softly touching his bare back, sliding down to the nape of his neck. Before he could even jump down, Felicity had moved to stand directly in front of him, her face inches from his. Her heels gave her just the right amount of height for their eyes to be on the same level. 

Cupping his face in both hands, she rose up onto the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his. She angled her head just a little so that her mouth fit perfectly against his. He closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her, the comfort she was offering, and it made him fall even deeper in love with her. 

She pulled back, her thumbs slowly caressing his cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, staring into his eyes. “I didn’t realise what day it was.”

“I’m sorry too. I know I over reacted, but I just…I can’t stand to see you hurt.”

She put a finger on his lips. “No, it’s okay. I should’ve called you, you were right. I just didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

“It was to me.”

“I know and I know why you reacted the way you did. I did a lot of thinking after I got home and I realised that something was bothering you, I just couldn’t figure out what it was. Then it hit me.”

The corners of her mouth tilted up into a sad smile as she stepped back and waited for him to jump down. As he grabbed a towel to pat himself down, she turned away to her desk, and reached into her bottom drawer.

When she turned back to him, he saw she was holding up a bottle of Russian Vodka and two glasses. “Your stock was beginning to run low and I know how much you like this stuff, so I ordered more.”

He shook his head in amazement as she handed him the glasses and twisted the cap off the bottle. After pouring a little into both their glasses, she placed the bottle down on her desk and stared up at him.

“To your dad.” She raised her glass at the same time he did, the gesture warming his heart. “Happy birthday, Robert Queen.”

“Happy birthday, Dad.” His voice broke a little as he said the words, and then took a little sip. 

He smiled when Felicity coughed, the neat vodka obviously a little too strong for her tastes, and he wondered how it was possible that this woman came to be in his life. Her strength, her heart, everything about her, amazed him. Her toast to his father was the most genuine, heartfelt thing Oliver had ever heard someone say about him since he’d returned from the island, and she hadn’t even known him. 

He took her glass from her and settled them both on her desk before wrapping his arms around her waist to draw her in close. One hand came up to rest on her cheek, his eyes taking in every perfect feature of her face. “Thank you.”

She smiled. “Hey, your dad was a great man, despite what people may say. He had to be, he created you.”

Oliver’s heart swelled at her words. No one had ever put it that way before. He was still broken, his soul still tarred from his time on that island. But with her he felt like he had a second chance. A chance to heal. “I love you, Felicity.”

There were unshed tears shining in her eyes as she kissed him once again. “I love you too, Oliver.”


	3. Cohesion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year into their relationship, Felicity is having a rough day. This time it's Oliver to the rescue.

“You have a limited window to catch this guy, Oliver.” Felicity said, fingers flying over her keyboard at a rapid pace. 

“What time does his flight leave?” he asked from somewhere behind her. She could hear the rustle of fabric as he removed his tuxedo and got into his leathers. They’d come straight to the Foundry from the charity gala they’d been attending after Felicity had gotten an alert on a particularly nasty crime boss they had been chasing for the past couple of weeks. 

“In half an hour, but he’ll be boarding soon.”

She waited until he stepped up beside her, leaning in to glance at the map on her monitor. “If you head here, you’ll be able to cut him off before he gets to the airport.”

“Great.” He moved away to grab his bow as she stood to face him, his mask already in her hand. It had become somewhat of a ritual for them over the past year of being together. Every time he left to go out on a mission, she would put it on for him. It was their own personal goodbye without needing to say the words. 

“I’ve sent the location to Digg, he’ll meet you there.”

He nodded as he returned to stand in front of her, lowering his head a little so that she could reach. “Don’t worry, we’ve got this.”

“You need to catch him, Oliver.” 

He frowned at her tone. “You know I will.” 

She slipped the mask over his face and as she felt him press a quick kiss to her cheek, she let the back of it go quickly. The resulting smack against the back of his head made him rear up, a shocked expression on his face.

“What was that for?” He asked, brows drawn together in confusion.

She shrugged. “It slipped.”

She could see that he wanted to ask what was wrong, he knew her well enough by now, but there wasn’t time. “Go. I’ll be here when you get back. Be careful.”

She watched him race up the stairs, rubbing some warmth into her upper arms. They’d left the gala so fast that she hadn’t even had time to grab her shawl. Kicking off her heels, she sat back down at her computer station, and got to work, but she hated being in there alone. The place that she spent most of her time became something else when she was in there by herself. Almost creepy. She knew it was secure, but every tiny noise that she would normally never register became much louder. 

She was being ridiculous, her mood soured by the events of the evening. Placing a comm in her ear, she shut out the background and focused on her task. “Okay Oliver, let’s get this guy.”

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

It was an hour later when Oliver returned. Felicity was in the middle of her yoga exercises when she heard his footsteps thundering down the metal stairs. The mission had gone well; the man had been captured and handed to the police, which meant that they no longer needed her. So she’d taken the opportunity to unwind and do some yoga. Something else that she had picked up over the past year. 

Not only did it relax her and help her to focus, it also made her training regimes with Digg a little easier. 

Sitting on the mats in the middle of the Foundry, she took in a few deep breaths, waiting for Oliver to say something. She heard him place his bow in the rack but he didn’t speak. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw him standing there watching her, his expression giving nothing away. 

“Where’s Digg?” she asked, the silence starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

“He went home.”

Well that was a short answer. She shook her head and leaned forward, placing her hands on both feet, feeling the stretch in the backs of her legs. 

Oliver sighed loudly as he sat down on the mat behind her. “Felicity, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. What was all that about, with the mask and the kiss?”

“I told you, it slipped out of my fingers.”

“Felicity…” She closed her eyes at the concern in his tone. 

“It’s nothing, I’m just being stupid.”

“If something is bothering you, or upsetting you, it’s not stupid to me.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, his thumb rubbing in small circles against her skin. “Is it me? Did I do something?”

Cursing herself for the tears she could feel threatening, she half turned towards him. “When I was in high school, I was bullied. A lot. The geeky science girl with the braces. I wasn’t exactly turning heads. But I got past it, and I never once looked back. I went to MIT, I got a fantastic job, I was happy. I am happy.”

She could see the compassion in his gaze, the sadness, and it made her feel both comforted and vulnerable at the same time. But he stayed silent, waiting for her to speak. That was one of the things she loved most about him, that he always knew when she just needed to talk, for no other reason than getting it off her chest. 

“Anyway, I guess tonight I was kind of thrown back to that time.”

“What do you mean?” he asked softly.

“We were standing next to the bar, you had your arm around me, and I was happy. It was nice.”

“But?” 

“There were a group of people standing behind us and their topic of conversation was…me. Well, you too.”

She saw the exact moment that his protective urge kicked in, his face gave none of it away, but it was screaming through his body language. “What were they saying?”

She shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Yes, to me it does.”

Letting out a quiet sigh, she carried on. “They were just whispering at first, but one of the women looked straight at me and leaned over to the guy next to her. She said she couldn’t believe that Oliver Queen was off the market. That it was such a shame.”

“Felicity…”

She held up a hand to stop him. “I know we get that all the time. That’s not unusual, I’ve actually gotten used to that. It’s what happens when you date a billionaire. But this was different, it wasn’t so much about what she said, it was the way the guy next to her looked at me. He stared at me from head to toe and…laughed. I don’t know, I guess it just got to me.”

“Did he say anything?” His voice was soft but she didn’t miss the hint of anger in it. 

She scoffed. “They all said something, Oliver. You’re dating me.” She lay down on her back, staring at the ceiling. “In fact, I think the words geeky and plain were used. I wasn’t even wearing my glasses tonight.” 

“I hate hearing you talk like that.” Oliver moved across the mat until he was lying on his front, his face hovering mere inches above hers. “Do you think you’re a geek?”

She frowned at the question. “I used to. I mean…before I met you. You were the first person that looked at me and saw beyond that.”

“I believe I said that you were remarkable actually.”

She smiled. “You did.”

“You still are. And so much more. But I understand why this bothered you.”

“Oh you do, huh? Mr Handsome?”

His expression turned serious, almost sad. “Felicity…half of my entire body is covered in scars. Each time I look at them, I remember the things that caused them. So I understand more than you think. But you see past all that, you see me. Just as I see you.”

Her eyes locked with his as she raised a hand to cup his cheek. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

He shook his head. “Just because your insecurities originated when you were young, doesn’t mean that they are any less important than what happened to me. You never have to apologise to me, Felicity.”

Her eyes burned with unshed tears. “Thank you.”

“I don’t ever want to see you lose who you are, because that person…well she’s pretty important to me. Since the day I met you, I have never once seen you take anyone’s crap, even mine, or care about what other people thought of you.”

“I don’t usually. But I guess today was just…I don’t know, I was having a bad day. Sometimes the past comes screaming back and I know I’m not that person anymore but it still hurts sometimes.”

“I know, believe me. But for the record, those clowns obviously don’t know what they’re talking about. I happen to think you’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

A small chuckle escaped her chest. If she’d heard that line from anyone else, she would’ve laughed, but coming from him, she knew he was just being honest. The intensity of his gaze right now, almost stole her breath. She already knew that he loved her, but looking in his eyes in that moment, she could see that he desired her too. 

She rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Ugh, see I told you it was stupid.”

“Hey…” He said softly, waiting for her to look at him. “You’re beautiful, Felicity. Inside and out. Don’t ever doubt that, please.”

As he placed his hands on either side of her face, she couldn’t think of a reply. Because she was lost in that gaze. He stared at her as if she was his entire world and it made her feel special. It made her feel loved. He traced a finger over her jawline, up towards her temple and into her hairline, leaving a trail of tingles in its wake. 

He drew in a deep breath. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

Slowly, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to her forehead, then her cheek, trailing tiny little kisses all the way down until he reached her mouth. A pool of heat swirled low in her belly as his teeth nipped her bottom lip. She moved her head slightly so that her mouth fit more closely against his and when their tongues met, she let out a groan. She would never get tired of kissing this man, but this kiss, it seemed more…intimate somehow. It was fast becoming her favourite way of being kissed, that was for sure. 

When it ended and he raised his head, his eyes were glazed over, as if he was having as much trouble finding his bearings as she was. 

He sighed happily. “What do you say we continue this at home?”

“Mm, I say…absolutely.”

He chuckled as he got to his feet and helped her up too. But once they were upright, he pulled her in close, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her again. 

“I do have one more question.” He murmured in her ear.

She shivered when his breath hit her ear. “Oh?”

“I understand why you were angry tonight, but why were you angry with me?”

“Oh…well it’s kind of embarrassing now.”

“Tell me.”

“You were standing right there next to me, you didn’t seem to hear a word they said. Which at the time, I found impossible because they weren’t exactly quiet.”

To her surprise, he started laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“Felicity, if you recall, I was talking to someone at that time.”

“Were you?” She cast her mind back and then groaned, realising he was right. “Oh, I’m sorry. But why is that funny exactly?”

“Because he actually had the nerve to ask me if he could dance with you. We’d been talking business and he took one look at you and asked me if I would mind if he stole my date for a dance.”

“Oh…oh!” Well, now she just felt foolish. She shook her head and tried to avert his gaze by looking down, but he placed a finger under her chin to stop her. “I’m guessing you said no.”

He smirked. “What do you think?”

She let out a giggle and shook her head. “I think…we should go home now.”

“Good idea.”

She tried to move away to grab her cocktail dress off the back of her chair but he held onto her. 

“Oliver, you need to let go if we’re going to get changed, unless you plan on taking me home like that.” She said, gesturing to his Arrow suit. “I mean, not that that would be a bad thing, it is kinda hot, but we can’t risk someone seeing and I need to get out of these workout clothes, and…”

“Felicity.” He leaned in close again, and whispered into her ear. “Go get changed. I want to be the one to take that dress off you later.”

He let her go with a grin lighting up his whole face, and as she grabbed her dress she felt the anticipation kick in. 

It was safe to say she’d never gotten changed so fast in her entire life. Oliver too. Because less than five minutes later, he was practically pulling her out the door.

**Author's Note:**

> So after chatting with a close friend, I came up with the idea of having a bunch of one shots surrounding the same theme. Upside down kisses, I just have a thing about them. So I decided I would put them all in here rather than post them individually.


End file.
